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T O P I C R E V I E W

Hart Sastrowardoyo

Year isn't over yet, but how was your 2012, autograph wise?

I added 46 in my "Space Shuttle: 20 Years" book alone — that's almost the equivalent of one a week, and I've been trying to do an "Astronaut of the Month" for the past three years.

For what it is worth, I missed out on Nicollier in February because I was out of the area; the last one I got was Scott Kelly — who flew with Nicollier.

I think about the missed opportunities, but then I realize I've been fortunate this year, with the Welcome Discovery and Enterprise pavilion events as well as the Tweetups/NASA Socials. Thanks also to friends and family who helped out.

Probably more stories (who knew Scott Kelly's parents used to own a lagoon-front home in the town I used to cover?) and more analysis later (I knocked off a few from my bucket list of astronauts met but didn't get a signature), but already am planning a return trip to KSC and have March's astronaut already planned.

JasonB

I met 11 Apollo Astronauts, 7 Moonwalkers and all Skylab Astronauts this year and got photos, autographs and great experiences from all of them. It was a great year!

randy

I picked up Pete Conrad, Walt Cunningham and Dave Scott autographs.

benfairfax

I added two rare uninscribed WSS lithos to my collection, Ron Evans and Phil Chapman. Had a great time at the ASF show and look forward to continuing my collection in the New Year. Thanks cS'ers for all your help and advice for 2012.

Grounded!

I was able to get completions on an Apollo XII photo, Apollo XIII litho (Mattingly version) and get the final signature in my Homesteading Space book. (Thanks to R. Simon for his help on that one.) I also located a brand new copy of Come Up And Get Me for the issue price and got it signed by Joe Kittinger.

Other highlights this year include being able to help out at Spacefest IV, having breakfast with Ed Gibson and getting an original Mike Collins watercolor. All in all, a pretty good year!

I only started collecting at the start of the year and am only 16. My first successes came from Kranz and Kraft. Then as the weeks went on, I started getting in people like Bob Crippen, Mike Mullane and Fred Haise.

As I got a bit more confident I sent off to people like Fred Haise and Frank Borman, who both signed my photos TTM.

I then focused on getting successes from JSC, and got lots of return from people like Kevin Ford, Don Pettit, Chris Cassidy and Rex Walheim.

However I would say my two best successes came from Jim Lovell and Gene Cernan, who both signed their books TTM. I also did an interview with Paolo Nespoli who I also got photos signed by him. Not a bad year for a beginner!

Fezman92

I got Ron Garan (signed my NASAHQ tweetup badge) and Cady Coleman. Still waiting on Scott Kelly from two years ago and working on trying to get the 134 crew.

Tykeanaut

I met Tim Peake at an event in Oxford, Julie Payette at the BIS HQ in London and Charlie Duke in Pontefract.

Purchased a great Gordon Cooper signed photo from Gerry Montague.

Also bought an Eileen Collins autographed photo and Rhea Seddon from the Astronaut Foundation.

On edit: And how could I forget? A signed copy of "We Have Capture" (Tom Stafford) and last and definitely not least! "Carrying the Fire" signed by Mike Collins.

Lev M

This is my first year in collecting and I like what I was able to achieve. I started as a Russian collecting the Russians, and my first item was a portrait card signed by Gagarin. Also I was able to get a number of Kniga covers dedicated to some of the Soyuz missions. Will try to complete in the future.

Later I got a nicely personalized and inscribed picture of Gene Kranz as well as his book.

Marc Garneau signed and personalized his photo to my daughter.

Then another success - my first Armstrong.

ASF helped me to get a picture of Jim Lovell with personalization and inscription "Never give up".

Still waiting for mail responses from John Glenn and Gene Cernan.

I want to thank Bob McLeod, Steve Zarelli, Florian Noller, David Ball and Mark Janovec for their help to a newbie.

Hart Sastrowardoyo

I've been rebuilding my collection in 2012. Aside from space shuttle astronauts, my main focus, I got an in-person autograph from Esther Dyson, someone I had been tracking down (she did a Meetup in NYC on the last shuttle launch and I missed that!)

I also learned the value of reading through. Charlie Bolden was at the UN in NYC and my mind told me to scroll through the full agenda. Sergei Krikalev was scheduled to appear. Although he didn't, meeting Sergei Volkov was just as rewarding.

I also managed to stay awake at a seminar involving dredging and dredge spoils to meet Rick Linnehan. The things we do....

Space Geek FL

2012 started out slow for me because of a medical issue however I was fortunate enough to meet Jack Schmitt and get him to sign a copy of his book. I had the opportunity to meet over a three dozen shuttle astronauts including a photo op with members of the last three space shuttle crews at KSC at each of the orbiter fly out and roll over events.

I was lucky enough to end the year with the chance to meet and get of photo of John Glenn with my Grandson at the Apollo 17 event in Pensacola. Overall it was a great year and I'm looking forward to more adventures in 2013.

Chegi

Although I started with my astronaut collection this year I may say it was pretty good year. My priority area are US astronauts of Mercury/Gemini/Apollo era and soviet cosmonauts Vostok/Voschod. Now I have 7 of first 10 people who were in space (missing Gagarin, Schirra and Cooper), 3 moonwalkers - Mitchell, Duke, Cernan and other Apollo astronauts - Borman, Gordon, Lovell and Haise... Furthermore I have some Interkosmos cosmonauts and some Shuttle. All in all not complain

alanh_7

This year was an off year for me collecting. For the first time since 2008 was unable to attend any of the large shows and for most of year added very little to my collection, mainly because we bought and new house.

But as the year ended I was able to add several signed prints and an original painting and a couple of signed books.

I was able to obtain an original Chris Calle watercolour of the Apollo 9 Dave Scott EVA. Through Chris I obtained two of his dads suiting up series of prints signed my Paul Calle of Neil Armstrong. I was also able to add a Mercury 7 print by Robert L Rasmussen and signed by John Glenn, Gordon Cooper, Wally Schirra and Scott Carpenter, so the year ended on a high note for me.

Apollo 8

For me as a collector of autographs 2012 was a great year!

I finished my Apollo-Skylab-ASTP autograph collection (my goal was to collect ONE astronaut per flown mission) by adding Charles Conrad and Buzz Aldrin, both bought from cS members and the conditions for these autographs were more than fair! Thank You.

The autograph of Al Shepard I bought again from a cS member on ebay at a very fair price - thanks my friend! I thought I never could afford the autograph of the first American in space, but I got it - what a great moment! So my other collection I call "The Right Stuff Wall" is growing! I have Chuck Yeager, Al Shepard, John Glenn and Scott Carpenter now. In 2013 I must look for Wally Schirra, Gordon Cooper and Deke Slayton...and maybe Gus Grissom, but his autograph sure would be to expensive for me.

Other highlights for me in 2012 were the autographs of first spacewalker Leonov (again bought from a cS member), of X-15 pilot Bill Dana, of Dick Gordon with the wonderful inscription "we sailed to the ocean of storms" and a wonderful glossy BS photo, Senator John Glenn was so kind to sign for my next birthday as a gift from my aunt (O.K., that´s now for 2013...).

schnappsicle

My collection is rather complete and has been for a few years now. I have autographed photos of every American astronaut to fly from Shepard’s first Mercury to the first Space Shuttle crew. In 2012, I purchased a single photo signed by the first 6 Soviets to fly in space. Apparently, I got that one for a bargain. I've seen it sell since then for almost $8,000. For the American astronauts, I try to get one photo of each mission before the Shuttle. I have 7 Mercury photos, one or more of each of the 10 Gemini missions, and a ton signed by Apollo astronauts. The last time I counted, I had about 128 signed photos of the first 43 astronauts to fly in space. The only Shuttle people I have besides the first crew are Bruce McCandless, Eileen Collins, Kathy Sullivan, and Sally Ride. I was lucky enough to purchase Ride for $50 about 2 months before she died.

I also sold my first photo in 2012. I find it hard to part with anything, but when I had 3 Ed Whites and only needed 1, it was an easy decision. Besides, the photo went to a worthy cause and the money I received definitely came in handy.

I went to Spacefest and got Dave Scott to sign a Gemini 8 and an Apollo 15 panorama of the Station 2 site. I haven't seen that pan anywhere else. The Gemini 8 photo is a duplicate. I like to have the date on the photo along with something describing what was going on at the time the photo was taken. I already had Scott sign a Gemini 8 photo, but when I got home, I noticed I forgot to ask for the date. Last year, I asked him to duplicate his previous inscription on a new photo and add the date. I didn’t think I was asking for too much. It’s a very short 6 word inscription. When I told Scott what I wanted, he said “I don’t write novels anymore.” He wrote it anyway, but he didn’t word it the same as the previous one. The latest one is still in an envelope in my drawer. I'd be more than happy to sell it, if anyone wants it.

I also got Richard Gordon to sign a Gemini 11 photo. I have 2 of them already, but I didn't like the way he signed them. One just has his name and the other one is one I purchased online that had a good inscription, but I wanted something different. I spent over an hour at his table trying to come up with a unique inscription that would make us both happy. He finally succeeded.

I also got Alan Bean to sign a 16" x 20" soil sample container photo for me. He gave me a nice long inscription across the top detailing how the soil fell out of Pete’s shovel and landed all over his (Bean’s) glove and arm. I heard he limits his inscriptions to 15 words now. The one he wrote for me was more than 50 words long. I am quite pleased with that photo. It has a prominent place on my wall.

My prize pickup in 2012 has to be the Aldrin panorama that I got at the ASF show at Kennedy in November. I wanted the entire plaque written out, but he has a 15 word limit, so I settled for “Here men from the planet earth first set foot upon the moon, July, 1969 A.D.” While it would have been great for him to add the “we came in peace…” I’m more than happy with what I have, even if it cost me $900.

This year, I’m going back to Spacefest for one last time to get Cernan and Mitchell to sign some panoramas for me. I already have a signed Mitchell panorama, but again, it’s all about the inscription. I also want to make one last attempt to get a good Scott inscription on a Gemini 8 photo, and maybe even an Apollo 9. I would also like to get a good Carpenter, providing he shows up. I already have 2 of him, but I’d like something more than just a signature. I’m also thinking of getting McDivitt on a Gemini 4 photo. I’m not really sure why, I just want it. I also want to upgrade my Shepard Mercury photo. While it's nice to see him receiving his medal from the president, I really want a photo of him taken from the movie camera during the flight.

My other goal is to get the NASA administrators from 1959 to 1975. I believe there were 6 of them. I have one so far. I’d also like to get some of the early NASA decision makers such as George Mueller, John Houbolt, and others. I’m also thinking of getting a few of the flight controllers such as Steve Bales and John Aaron.

The only thing I lack that I really want is a Ron Evans EVA photo. I also would like to find a Schmitt signed flag photo signed in gold or silver. I already have 2 Schmitt lithos and an Evans WSS, so those would just be upgrades.